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Police: Driver in car crash was shot in the face

A 29-year-old man is in critical but stable condition after he was found to a be a gunshot wound victim after getting into a minor traffic accident late Friday on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Wilmington.

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Wilmington police investigate after a man was found with a gunshot wound on Martin Luther King Boulevard near Justison Street shortly after 10 p.m. Friday.(Photo: William Bretzger, The News Journal)Buy Photo

A Pennsylvania man involved in a vehicle collision Friday night was found to have a gunshot wound to the facial area, the Wilmington Police Department said.

At approximately 10:24 p.m., officers responded to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Justison Street for a minor vehicle crash, police said.

"Further information was received that the operator of the striking vehicle may have been shot," police said.

Officers found a 29-year-old Pennsylvania man suffering from an apparent gunshot wound "to his facial area" inside a black SUV with a Pennsylvania registration, police said.

The victim was treated at the scene by New Castle County Paramedics and transported to the Christiana Hospital emergency room, police said. The victim is in critical but stable condition, officials said.

A preliminary investigation indicated that the victim's car sustained significant damage, possibly striking some sort of barrier at an unknown location, police said. No ballistic evidence was recovered at the crash scene, and no calls for shots fired or ShotSpotter notifications were received in reference to the shooting, police said.

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Wilmington police investigate after a man was found with a gunshot wound on Martin Luther King Boulevard near Justison Street shortly after 10 p.m. Friday.(Photo: William Bretzger, The News Journal)

The criminal investigations division is working with surrounding Delaware and Pennsylvania police agencies to determine where the shooting took place, police said. Updates will be provided as available.

Anyone who has information relative to this investigation is asked to call Detective William Ball at (302) 576-3962.

The incident could be the 48th shooting event and the 56th shooting victim in Wilmington since the start of the year, according to data compiled by The News Journal. There have been 14 people killed by gunfire this year, the data shows.

The rate of shootings this year is outpacing previous years. This time last year, there were 35 shooting events, 40 victims and nine people killed.